Queen of Mars, a novel by Al Sarrantonio

Queen of Mars (2006), a novel by Al Sarrantonio

At left: Paperback original (New York: Ace Books, 2006), 232 p., cover art by Matt Stawicki. Here’s the blurb from the back cover:

Young Princess Clara of Mars now wears the endangered crown once worn by her grandmother, Queen Haydn, and her father, King Sebastian -- both slain by the warrior-usurper Frane before her birth. As Clara uneasily holds her world together, Frane has resurfaced -- aged now, but wicked beyond her years -- for one last, climactic battle.

But more than just the freedom of her people is at stake. The Red Planet is dying, the atmosphere gradually leaking away. Unless Frane’s crazed army is defeated, Clara’s scientists will not be able to activate the oxygenation stations left behind by the mysterious Old Ones to replenish the air supply. Now Clara must lead the Second Republic to victory and unlock the long-lost secrets of the Old Ones -- or life on Mars will cease to exist ...

You can read a few pages of Queen of Mars through Amazon's "Look Inside" feature.

Queen of Mars is the third novel in Sarrantonio’s Martian science fiction trilogy and was preceded by Haydn of Mars (2004) and Sebastian of Mars (2005). All three novels were reprinted by the Science Fiction Book Club as a hardcover omnibus titled Masters of Mars (2006).

Author, reviewer, and longtime science fiction fan Don D’Ammassa reviewed Queen of Mars in 2006, concluding that the novel is “Not for every taste, but should appeal to readers who want something unusual.”

SF fan Fred Patten reviewed Queen of Mars in his fanzine Anthrozine #10, writing, in part, “There is plenty in Queen of Mars to satisfy readers who want lots of descriptions of bipedal cats in colorful costumes. And while it will help to have read the first two books, Queen of Mars stands nicely on its own, so those who have not read the previous volumes are not forced to read them first.”